


There the Blood Will Still Be

by tsubasafan



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horror, Alternate Universe - Jungle, Alternate Universe - Shipwrecked, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Dragons, Falling In Love, KuroFai Olympics, KuroFai Olympics 2020, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, here be dragons, traumatic past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26018635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsubasafan/pseuds/tsubasafan
Summary: In the waters, a ship was burning, its hull engulfed in bright yellow flames. The sun was high above and all around him were birds circling debris and crabs feasting on corpses.Stranded together Fai and Kurogane must forge a path to survival or abandon all hope.
Relationships: Fay D. Fluorite/Kurogane
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17
Collections: 2020 KuroFai Olympics - Fluff vs Angst





	There the Blood Will Still Be

When Fai woke it was with the sea in his lungs and salt on his tongue. Smoke and cinder filled the air as he spat up water.

Behind him fire crackled and splintered wood as he managed to roll over and see what had happened.

In the waters, a ship was burning, its hull engulfed in bright yellow flames. The sun was high above and all around him were birds circling debris and crabs feasting on corpses. Staggering to his feet, he felt his vision blur.

A ship. He had been on a ship. Heading east across the Jade Sea. There had been three of them, safer from pirates that way. He didn’t remember the ship catching fire beforehand, but it must have tossed him into the water where he washed up on shore. He had to find someone...this was just one ship, surely the others wouldn’t be far behind.

A shadow rippled across his face as a warm gust of wind brushed his hair forward, and over the sound of the sea he heard the beating of wings.

Fai looked up to see a dragon staggering in the air as it flew low and landed on the white sand not too far from him. He quickly fell back down.

The beast shone like bright silver, the head was molten gold. Red eyes turned to look at him as panic swelled in his chest. Fai didn’t even notice the man swinging from the saddle and stepping down. 

“You look alive.” He was tall and wearing too much armor for the heat. Fai glanced up as the man towered over him. At another time he would have appreciated the view, but now his mind was spinning. “You’re the only one I’ve found. Are you hurt?”

“I...dragon?” He coughed, still tasting brine and bile.

“Can you speak?” He said sternly, bending down. 

“Y-yes. What happened? Did you burn the ship?” Fai went to his feet again and tried to stand up straight.

“I was aboard that ship.” He huffed. “We’ve got to search for supplies and survivors. Can you walk?”

It was all happening so fast. “I think so.” His skin was crusted with sand and he wanted a bath.

“What’s your name?”

“Kurogane. Yours?”

“...Fai.” They walked, the blond staying far from the dragon as it thankfully walked ahead of them. “I didn’t think dragons still existed. I’ve only read about them.”

“She’s one of the few left.” Kurogane was frowning as he overturned bodies to check them. He didn’t flinch at the crabs skittering away like Fai did. 

“She’s injured?” He had noticed the dragon favoring a wing.

“Bruised. Nothing broken.” Kurogane pulled a canteen off a corpse and tossed it to Fai. “Drink.” He ordered. “I’ve gathered a few supplies. We may have to strip some of these clothes off to use.”

“You think it will be that long? The other ships couldn’t have been far behind.” Fai frowned at the thought and drank his fill. He truly had been thirsty.

“Possibly.” 

—-

They had walked until they had nearly lost sight of the ship on the shore. Neither had any clue of where they had washed up. It was sweltering and his clothes stuck to his skin.

“There must be a port or something.” Fai sighed. They had passed nothing but jungle. Seabirds circled behind them, feasting on the dead that they couldn’t reach and Fai was glad they had left.

“Should. There are always at least fishing villages and where there are villages there are ships.” Kurogane stalked a few paces in front of him.

“We can’t venture too far into the jungle.” Fai warned. He’d heard tales of the plagues and inflictions that killed people who wandered too far. “If the bugs and water doesn’t kill us, the wildlife will.” At least in the old pine forests back home there were only bears and wolves to worry about.

“We stay on the coast, find some shelter or make some.” Kurogane told him as he kept moving.

They had scavenged what they could from the dead. Fai had felt sick doing so and Kurogane had his dragon burn the bodies since they couldn’t bury them all. Kurogane had tied damp satchels onto his dragon, having it carry all they could salvage.

As far as they could tell a fire had broken out, most likely from the kitchens or perhaps some watcher during the night dropped his oil lamp and the ship had gone up in flames. Fai had suspected the dragon, but it didn’t make much sense to torch the ship they were sailing on.

“We have to eventually go back and see if there’s anything else we can collect.” 

“We covered everything on the beach.” He didn’t want to go back.

“There might be casks and crates sealed at the bottom of ocean, at least close enough for us to reach.” He reasoned and Fai couldn’t say he was wrong. Ships were always carrying a surplus of food and water and usually trading in casks of wine and salt fish and all manner of goods depending where they left port from.

When the sun started to wane, they had decided to settle just off the beach and onto a slight clearing. Kurogane and his dragon ripped out any surrounding trees and brush and he built a fire for them. They went over what they had salvaged, hanging some clothes and things out to dry. Fai had wished a nice cot could have washed ashore, but he had to make due with the hard ground. Even Kurogane got to rest against his dragon before it flew off to go hunting. 

“So tell me, Kuro...garp? Where are you from?” If he was going to be stuck here for a few days he may as well keep the silence at bay and make the most of it.

“Kurogane.” He frowned.

“Garuda?” Fai grinned, seeing the man prickle in annoyance. “No, wait. Kuro-growl.” He helped up a hand. “It’s a little difficult for me to say.”

“Kuro-gane.” Kurogane glared in turn as he got up. “It isn’t hard if you’re not an idiot.”

“Well, that’s probably the nicest way anyone’s ever said it.” He shrugged. “I’m from the north, we don’t get many travelers. All I have are dusty old books.” 

“Must not be any good then.” He left then to the saddle bags laid to the side drying. “You know how to fight?”

“Enough.” He’d never been formerly trained, not like he expected Kurogane had been. When the man turned back he held a bow in one hand and a quiver in the other.

“A gift? How thoughtful.” He said as they were unceremoniously dropped beside him. 

“Should work, thankfully it wasn’t broken.” He frowned at Fai’s teasing. 

He must really think Fai was a fool or mad with the sudden onslaught of ribbing. “Thank you good ser. I’ll treasure it always.”

With a roll of his eyes, Kurogane began to walk back to the bags.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve used one.” Fai admitted as he looked over the bow. It was still sound from what he could tell and there was a decent number of arrows, but he’d have to make more eventually. 

“Then I’ll help you relearn it, we can’t rely on Ginryu to keep bringing us food and it’ll help keep you safe.” He said as he squatted down to dig through what they had.

It had seemed Kurogane had found more than what he had thought, no doubt having been scavenging the wreckage well before he’d been found. Maybe he could help in some way now.

As the sun set, Kurogane returned to lay down beside Fai. “You’ll take first watch, Ginryu should come back soon.” He frowned and wadded up a few shirts to make a pillow. 

“Aye, aye captain.” He saluted and poked the fire with a stick he’d found, which only earned him a dismissive scoff. Even Kurogane was too tired to be riled again.

It was blackness a few yards from the fire, but he felt like there were shadows all around. The flames must have been playing tricks, causing the shadows to dance. Fai reasoned with himself as he added more wood onto the fire and embers floated up above.

“Kuro-sword?” He asked as Kurogane slept beside him. He reached blindly and shook Kurogane. “I need you to wake up.”

“What the hell is it now?! And it’s Kurogane!” He snapped and looked up to see Fai staring forward. 

“I think I’m going crazy, but do you see something moving out there?” He could make out the overall shape of the canopy just beyond the beach and maybe the trunks of trees. 

Kurogane sat up, immediately tense and hand grabbing for his sword. “Be quiet.”

The fire cracked and spat and insects sang in front of them as the sea lapped at the sands behind them. Fai froze in place and dared not breathe as he tried to listen.

For a moment there was nothing but them until he focused beyond the light of the fire and saw small circles of light moving. It took only a moment for him to realize what they were.

Eyes danced in the darkness, at least a dozen of them and before he could speak...some sort of animal tried to leap over the fire only to be quickly cut down by Kurogane. 

As the body fell to the dirt, noise erupted from the darkness as more sprang into action. Fai stood, grabbing his bow and knocking an arrow while Kurogane swung his sword to keep them at bay. 

He only caught a glimpse of it in the firelight as they moved back to back. Long and sleek with spotted fur and large paws. They reminded him of the snow cats from his home, but these were larger and greater in number. 

He could hear Kurogane panting, he was getting tired. Fai looked another arrow into a cat and watched as it shrieked and swatted at the air in front of him. “I’m almost out.” He said. Perhaps this was better than dying from some sickness, but it would be painful, being eaten. 

He aimed another arrow at a circling cat, and for a moment time seemed to slow as he locked eyes with the beast. The air was stifling and a sudden pressure filled the air as large claws came from the dark and plucked the cat up, crushing it in its grasp. Ginryu landed and roared, the dragon striking out quick as a snake to snatch another cat in her jaws. 

Its struggle lasted only seconds as the dragon shook her massive head and tore the animal in half before spouting flame at another. 

He and Kurogane moved in synch, putting distance between them. He struck a few more until he was out of arrows. Kurogane slashed at another as he leapt onto the dragon's back, trying to climb its way up to her head.

By the end of it, several bodies lay smoldering and broken, small fires littered the ground as their campfire had been scattered. Kurogane dropped his sword and reached for Ginryu's head. “About damn time you came back.” He rested his head on her snout for only a moment before he looked to Fai. “We'll take turns keeping watch tonight. Tomorrow, we have to find shelter.”

Fai slumped onto the ground and nodded, a smile on his lips. “At least we have food now.”

—-

He admitted on their second day of walking that he hadn’t expected to find a village so soon. The ship fires must have been noticed even this far out. 

The gates of the village were made of felled trees, thick and sturdy and built to last, but the gates were open and falling from their hinges. They walked curiously and cautiously past them, the dragon ducking it’s head to follow. 

Had they been spotted coming? They weren’t hard to miss and they hadn’t tried to be stealthy.

They ventured cautiously down the main path that cut straight through the small village. The buildings were sand brown and dusty.

“We should check them, find someone and have them help us,” Kurogane said as he ventured towards the nearest home. “They can spare a ship or send for help.”

Fai looked around them. He had never been anywhere so quiet and for no one to even show themselves? It was suspicious. He watched as Kurogane forced a door open and disappeared inside. 

He kept his distance from the dragon, watching as it sniffed around some yards away. Its scales shone almost too brightly in the afternoon sun. He had always imagined them as being green or black or some other ugly mud color from the few drawings he’d seen of them. But this one shimmered as it moved, craning it’s long neck and peering into houses with its blood red eyes. It didn’t care how much noise it made or where it went.

Fai supposed that was fitting. A dragon had no equal after all, so why would one care what it did? He gave the beast a wide berth in any case, even if its rider was close he didn’t want to make it angry and become its next meal.

“Nothing, not a single soul and everything inside is covered in dust. No one has lived there for a long time.” Kurogane said as he returned. He looked upset as he patted the dust from his clothes. 

“Pirates?” Fai suggested. It was known far and wide that pirates raided everywhere they could save for the cities and that many of them had made themselves petty kings on the few islands that dotted the Jade Sea. The cities usually sent armadas to flush them out every few years, but they always returned to squabble and fight over little islands and prey upon any ship or village unlucky enough to catch their eye.

“Pirates would have burned this place.” He stood before he gaze fell to his dragon.

“Slavers?” It was true that pirates would leave bodies and burned homes in their wake. Slavers could account for no one being left. They were far worse than pirates, selling entire peoples to the flesh markets of Sabao and furthest west, but they should have been well out of their range when they washed up here.

“Possibly, but slavers usually come back and no ones been here for years.” He countered. “We should check every house to make sure, see if there is anything we can use.” 

“Agreed.” He grinned. “It’s good to see at least someone taking charge. Do you have a lot of experience with being shipwrecked?” It only earned him a glare as Kurogane stomped off across the narrow street and kicked in another door before going inside.

Fai sighed and heading inside another house. The other man hadn't been lying when he'd said there was a layer of dust on everything. Plain furniture remained and he checked inside every cabinet and drawer he found. He endedended uping a small, dull hatchet and used it to smash the lock of an old chest. 

It had been tucked away under a bed and inside, he found trinkets. A figurine carved from some stone, a pair of dice and a few coins. There were no corpses, thankfully, nor signs of any other life. He didn’t see so much as an insect or a mouse inside the building as he collected the baubles and hatchet and made his way back out.

He met Kurogane outside. The man was looking over a piece of something in his hands. “Find anything interesting?” Fai asked as he wandered close. He could see a map etched onto what looked to be old leather. It was marked in script he didn’t understand. “Can you read it?”

“No, can you?”

“Not at all.” He shrugged, but as he stared he reached and turned it in Kurogane's hands. “I think it goes this way?” There was a star in the corner that may have been directions, but as he took in the newly oriented map realization began to crawl over him and suddenly the heat and salt sticking to his skin didn’t matter so much. “Is...we can’t stay here. We need to leave right now.” He paled and stepped back. 

“What is it?” Kurogane looked from him and back to the map, confusion making him annoyed. “You know where we are?”

Fai pointed and Kurogane came closer. “The curve above here and the peninsula, that’s the entrance to the ivory gates.” His fingers traced over the crude lines. “If it is, the bottom of the map marked shows us on the coast of Xura. Here.” He pointed far south to a small bay. 

“Xura...” Kurogane looked thoughtful.

“You live further East...you might not know the stories, but I do.” Fai felt his stomach twist even as he gave a bark of laughter at his luck. “We’ve landed on the worst place imaginable. Sailors say it’s haunted by demons and the written accounts are even worse. Villages disappearing in the night without a trace, monsters and worse in the jungles.” He couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “We’re going to die here. The only place with any people might be weeks away on foot and even then they’d take us and sell us or kill us and try and take your dragon.” Cutthroats and slavers kept to a small island off the coast, which was worse then dying here.

“No one will touch her.” He warned, glaring darkly. It didn’t seem like Kurogane cared much for his humor.

Fai laughed almost manically. Whatever hope he'd had left him. A ship would never come this far south. Only those who were desperate would.

It took a while for Fai to settle down, feeling strangely energetic. They had spent the better part of the day securing the village after their discovery. Its walls and gate were sturdy enough. Even living so far apart they had heard the stories of raiders in the night. They would check the rest of the houses in time. 

They chose the largest building to stay in, so Ginryu could fit as well. It was a long hall, covered in dust and cobwebs. A hearth sat in the middle that hadn’t been used in nearly a century, but with a quick spout of flame from the dragon it sprang to life. Kurogane was busy butchering the deer-like animal Ginryu had caught earlier when she had ventured off to hunt. The dragon had eaten the remains already and was curled up resting.

Fai watched Kurogane hang strips of meat to dry before he put some chunks on sticks and set them over the fire.

The two of them sat next to each other watching their dinner cook. 

“We have to figure out a way to look for a ship,” Kurogane started.

“Can’t you fly? The ocean isn’t that wide. Fly your dragon until you find people and bring back a ship with you,” Fai suggested.

“Ginryu can’t fly that far over open water. She’s not old enough.” Fai glanced over at the sleeping dragon.

“And how old is she?”

“Near thirty. If she were fifty, a hundred, she could fly me across the ocean and back to Rekort or Gerloias or beyond to Azer. Now, she would only make it halfway...and with the minor damage from the ship, probably less.” Ginryu sighed, her hot breath blowing up a small cloud of dust.

“I see, so we need to find a ship.” Fai’s shoulders slumped.

“Unless you want to stay here, yes.” He poked at their little fire with his stick. 

—

Fai kept his arms and legs covered and slipped a piece of cloth around his mouth and nose. It was blistering hot, leaving a sticky sheen of sweat on his skin, but they needed food and supplies. They couldn’t stay afraid of what lurked in the jungles forever. He had to be cautious. Scholars told about the diseases and ailments men caught in these jungles. Blood fire, wandering sickness, green rot and a dozen others. The insects and unclean water made every three in four men suffer from one of them. So far they had been careful. With fire they could clean the water and covering themselves up with clothes and cool mud helped with stinging bugs.

He carried his bow and a quiver of arrows on his back. Ginryu had been hunting for them while kurogane fished. He could at least contribute too. They couldn’t live on just meat, they needed fruits and greens and well he’d collect whatever he could come across moving or not and at least with his bow he had some protection.

They had managed to find scraps of leather and with some charcoal had drawn rough maps for each of them. They weren’t too far apart from each other, every now and then he could see the distant shape of the dragon flying high above, her scales glinting in the sunlight. They had parted at the village and delved just barely into the jungle, making a sort of circle before meeting back out on the beach some distance away. They needed resources and food and splitting up would be the best way to find it quickly.

He was less afraid at least during the day, at least he could see something coming towards him. The cats from before, the ones they could salvage and they had skinned what they could and were currently being dried to make furs for bedding. Fai had to admit it was impressive how much Kurogane knew.

He walked slowly, making a path and careful not to touch anything with his bare hands. He’d had poison oak before and didn’t need itching on top of everything else. 

The blonde saw no game however and didn’t understand how the dragon was able to so often. He could hear birds and bugs, but not much else. Now ready, he crept through, careful to listen for anything else big moving, but there was nothing.

He did however find a fruit tree that looked similar enough to other fruit he’d send at markets and stuffed all that he could into his bag before venturing on to their meeting point. 

When Fai breached the jungle and emerged onto grass he was surprised to see what lay before him. Kurogane stood looking at the place as he came to stand beside him.

“What is it?” 

“Whatever it is, it’s a lot older than the village.” He frowned.

It was a large stone city of dark grey stone. Broken pillars and caved in buildings slumped to the ground, dead vines stretched across walls. Strange that the jungle didn’t touch it save from short grass springing up here and there.

Looming on either side were two statues of coiling serpents with the face of a man, though one was missing half its face. He had seen stranger, but the sight of them was unsettling all the same. “Should we look into it?”

“I don’t think we will find anything useful, the villagers would have scavenged it a long time ago.” Kurogane told him with a frown, hand on the hilt of his sword.

Taking the initiative and curiosity getting the better of him had Fai walking closer onto a large stone road. Buildings were packed tightly together and it was hard to see much of anything beyond crumbling walls as he walked to the edge of the grass. In its center rested what he could only describe as a temple with great steps leading up to an open entrance. 

It seemed the longer he stared, the darkness the recesses of the crumbling temple became. The gaping maw of the doorway beckoning sweetly.

“Hey, idiot.” Blue eyes ripped away and focused on Kurogane.

“We’ve got to get moving, it’ll be dark in a couple hours.” Kurogane trudged along as Ginryu circled the skies nearby.

“Yes...yes.” He blinked and ran a hand through his greasy hair. The heat must be getting to him.

—-

In the weeks that followed they had a sort of camaraderie, which given their situation was only the natural course of things. They had made a home of sorts of the village, having scavenged all the buildings and securing the hall they used. 

The work was backbreaking and at times so hot they could do nothing but soak themselves in the ocean to try and stave off the worst of the heat.

Ginryu as well was recovering nicely and sometimes Kurogane would take her inland to see what he could find, but he had only ever seen more jungle and rivers and mountains in the distance. The beach and village was still the safest for them and with the dragon they were safer still. 

While the day was spent exploring and scavenging and hunting, their nights were filled with work. Kurogane had been helping him learn to fight and make arrows. They worked on patching clothes and making some sort of food storage. On nights when hunting had been fruitless they spent their time talking to fill up the silence. It seemed even Kurogane didn’t want to let the quiet encroach too much on what scant peace they had found.

Tonight, a storm raged outside and the roof leaked. They stayed close with Ginryu coiled around them watching the fire burn.

“What I would give for a book. It wouldn’t even have to be a good one.” Fai sighed. There was only so much time he could spend with his thoughts and the fewer the better. He’d been having troubling dreams of late and Kurogane was a distraction.

“What I would give for a ship.” Kurogane countered which made him laugh. 

“Fair point, a boat would be more likely to help us.” He had suggested maybe going to the pirate outpost leagues away, ambushing them and stealing a ship, but Kurogane had pointed out the ships they most likely had couldn’t be manned by just the two of them and the risk of them dying was too great.

“Still a chance some ship will pass close enough to restock on food.” Plenty of ships would stop on islands to hunt and restock their water. Maybe they could be lucky enough to be found. “We must have pissed off some god to be this unlucky.” Kurogane scoffed and reached to add more wood to the fire. It was chilly for once and they needed to keep from getting damp.

Fai watched the flames dance, smiling softly.

“I don’t believe in any gods. I was told to worship them and put my faith in them...but where were they when a mother lost her baby? Or when a farmer's crops rotted from floods? Where were the gods when wars came and people were taken by slavers? The only person who mattered to me was taken from me and since then I’ve realized the only faith I need is in myself.”

Kurogane frowned his gaze never wavering. “When my parents were swallowed up by the sea...i watched their ship smash against the rocks during a storm.” He couldn’t reach them and had to live with that. Ginryu had been too weak and small against the whipping winds. “In Nihon, they worship a thousand gods and even more shrines are scattered across Shirisagi. I was raised to believe in them and part of me still does...but if they exist, they don’t care much about men.”

“Well said.” Fai held up a small cup of water to toast Kurogane. Maybe they had more in common than he had thought.

They had all the time in the world now, so they may as well get to know each other. It felt nice to know someone else in the world could understand him a little.

Fai sighed beside Kurogane and sipped at his water. They had gone back to the beach they had washed up on, diving down to hunt for more supplies and had found a few things. It made him wonder if this is what their lives would entail? Searching tirelessly for the chance to survive another day. Eventually they’d succumb to the heat or beasts or disease. 

They’d be gone and Ginryu would remain. Would she remember them as she grew wild and larger with each passing year? Would tales spring up of a massive dragon a hundred years from now that ruled over this uncharted land? He had heard dragons lived for centuries and by then they’d be nothing but bleached bones or dust.

“Idiot...you’re too quiet.” Kurogane glanced at him and Fai shook his head. “We have some jerky left. It should be good.”

“Sorry...I’m not hungry.” It was a lie, but he couldn’t stomach the tough, strange meat tonight. No, he was used to hunger. Instead he smiled. “It’s alright Kuro-scale. You can have your fill and tomorrow we can go fishing.” He suggested as he sat on the thin furs they had made and the bedding of leaves under them in an attempt to find some semblance of a bed.

Those ruins and the silence had unsettled him more than he thought and of even Kurogane was going easy on him, it must have really showed on his face.

He had wanted comfort and it turned out that Kurogane did too as he leaned down to kiss him. It wasn’t romantic or warm or anything like poems and songs described them. They were half starved and desperate and it was a small silver lining to their situation.

They broke apart slowly, still sitting close together. “I guess that’s one way to shut you up.” Fai watched Kurogane grin. Even he was beginning to look a little rough around the edges. He could only imagine how bad he looked.

“I’d like to kiss you again once we leave.” Maybe they’d stop in Kuri, traveling along its famous ruby river. Maybe that would be too romantic for them after all of this.

“I could be persuaded.” Ginryu snorted and yawned.

—-

The ruins coiled about like a great stone serpent. The roofs were mud brown tiles, broken and fallen off. The dark walls were cracked and crumbling and from what he could see there was a maze of turns and alleys beyond.

They walked by, giving the heaps of sun washed rubble a wide berth. If the dragon could not abide to be near them, then they should stay even further back. 

They always had to pass this place and Fai wished their were better paths. Even Kurogane seemed suspicious of it as if he too could feel like they were being watched.

But it was too risky to delve too deep in the jungle, they stayed fairly close to the its edge when they went inside to hunt and only Kurogane on dragonback had gone further. 

They’d managed to find a cargo neat not too far done and together the three of them had managed to pull it up. They had cut it into sections and used it for fishing net. 

That had taken them days to make, half the morning to carry it miles away to the the mouth of the river and longer still to set it up. But it had been worth it as they caught more fish in a few hours than they had in weeks.

Ginryu circled. Fai never got tired of seeing her fly, the dragon was beautiful and as time passed she grew stronger. Maybe Kurogane could take her further to scout for help one day.

“We should be back before the sun starts to set.” Kurogane said as he walked ahead. A good thing about having a dragon, meant they didn’t have to carry the bet and their spoils back. 

“Good, it’s been a long day and I need a bath.” Fai was getting used to being dirty, but that didn’t mean he could enjoy a bath from time to time. 

Later on, they were settled in the long hall and Kurogane was busy hanging the fish to drink, smoking them over the low fires of the hearth. 

Fai sat back on the tattered blanket, belly full for the first time in a couple of weeks. The other man settled down next to him, cup in hand. They had managed to catch a dozen fish at the mouth of the river.

“I think I could love you if given the chance.” Fai gave a small smile. It stung to think they’d never have the chance.

“I think I’d like that.” Kurogane looked flustered in his own way, smirking slightly as he tried to will away the slight blush.

Fai wondered if he was used to such blunt affection. He leaned in close and Kurogane gladly closed to the distance between them for a lingering kiss. Kurogane was always the bolder of them when it came to surviving and fighting, but he thought for once he might have a leg up. For a moment he forgot that they were stranded, alone together for who knew how long.

—-

“Are you going to wake up?” Fai groaned and woke, eyes narrowed at the sunlight beating down on him. Sitting up, he looked around. 

He sat in the middle of a field and down the gentle slope of the hill, he could see the towers of Luval shining white. How long had he been asleep? “There you are, I thought you were going to stay asleep.” He looked above him to see his brother, trying to frown down at him and failing to keep his amusement in check.

Why did his chest tighten? Had he been having a nightmare? Yes, that must have been it, he didn’t normally sleep in the middle of the day. 

“We need to go home, I promised we would be home before it got too late.” His twin smiled and offered a hand, which he took without hesitation. “And if we hurry, we might be able to find some cakes.”

He hefted himself up and stared as the wind blew around him. The city below shone brightly under the spring sun. Ships were coming in and out of the port and for some reason tears stung at his eyes. This was his home, he’d seen it every day for years and they always explored the hills and forests, looking for trinkets and a reason to waste the day away. 

“Yuui? Everything okay? Did you have a bad dream?”

He brushed a hand through his hair. Yes, a bad dream. Here he was warm and whole and happy. He couldn’t remember his dream save that it had made him ache.

“No, no.” He shook his head, he looked back over to the city. 

“What are you doing?” He heard and looked over to find his brother no longer beside him. 

“Fai?” He looked back down to Luval to see the city looked darker, it’s white towers an ashy grey.

His stomach twisted in knots as he looked around for his brother. Why didn’t this feel familiar? 

A shriek echoed across the valley and he felt like he was falling backwards into ice water.

—-

“Bastard!” Kurogane reached down to grab at him, to try and pull him up. Fai was beginning to regain consciousness as he was dragged up the stairs inside the entrance and back out into the sun.

Where was he? He felt cold. 

Kurogane was cupping his face and for the first time there was fear in his eyes. It quickly sobered Fai as he reached up to cover the mans hands with his own. “I...what happened?”

“I woke up and you were gone...I don’t understand how you got passed Ginryu, but you did. I’ve been searching for hours and then she took me here.” Fai couldn’t see the dragon around them. 

“I...is this a dream? Am I awake?” His mind still felt sluggish.

“You are now. Do you not remember?” Kurogane asked and all Fai could do was shake his head. 

“Fai.” He kissed his forehead tenderly.

He was right. This was his reality, dying slowly with a man he was probably in love with. It was a sweet poison, but it would kill them all the same. “I must have been sleep walking.”

“You’ve never done it before.” Kurogane stood and looked around. The sun would be setting soon enough and it would be dark. “Ginryu isn’t far away, she can take us both back.” The dragon was circling around the city, not quiet going over it.

Fai ran a hand through his hair and stood. He was trying to remember, but there was nothing. The last thing he recalled was falling asleep beside of Kurogane.

He looked up to see Kurogane standing in front of him and for a moment he went to smile before he noticed some seemed off.

Fai watched, voice caught in his throat as half a second later Kurogane was falling back. A look of surprise and pain marring his face and a split second later he was gone, lost in the darkness. “Kurogane!”

Ginryu gave a hiccuping cry in the distance, high pitched and full of pain.

He scrambled up and dashed inside, all of his fear washed away in his panic to get to kurogane. He felt it pulling him down into the depths, drowning him as old things clawed at his clothes. He could feel their breath on his skin.

Fai sank into the coldness, the air punched out of his lungs. Fai struggled as nothingness enveloped him whole.

—-

He blinked and found himself standing in a hallway. The white walls and patterned tile stretched out into eternity as he started to walk. His footfalls echoed as he came to a realization. This...this was his home.

He stumbled down the hallway to a set of double doors carved with flourishes of birds and flowers and when he stepped inside the smell of old books and fire struck him. Wait, no. Not fire, it was too warm for the fireplace to be used this time of year. No, that wasn’t fire, it was fresh air.

This was his fathers study, piled with books and paper and ink wells. He was home and the thought released more than it should have, but where were the servants? Where was Yuui and his father? He turned to look back towards the door and when he turned back it was dark, the desk overturned and black blood pooled there. He knew what was behind the desk and didn’t step closer, he knew there would be nothing but ruin and so he turned away and ran.

Just like before. Coward. All he had ever done was run away. 

Outside the house the gardens were burning and in between it all stood his brother as he had last seen him. 

His brother, Fai, stood with blood on his lips, hair burnt and half his body smashed where he had fallen. 

“You can’t...you’re dead.” He said suddenly, admitted the painful truth to himself.

_You killed me._ His lips did not move, but he heard the whisper of his brothers voice all the same. _Did you forget me brother? ___

____

____

This must be a dream, his eyes stung. “No, never.” He choked out. Fai was always in his thoughts. 

_You left me here._

“I couldn’t stay.” He reasoned, he was only a child and afraid. Fai had always been the brave one. 

_And you have been running ever since. Stay with me now. This is your home._

Fai shuddered and looked around, fires burned, but soon enough the snows would come and bury them all. Luval would become truly dead.

“I think about you every day. It should have been me instead of you, but you couldn’t stay back. You had to run inside and when they found you...I was too afraid.” He admitted bitterly. The thought had always haunted him. Would things have even turned out differently? Would they both have been sprawled across the cobblestone path, together in death as they had always been in life?

A crack of thunder erupted above, snapping Fai from his thoughts, followed by a shriek. 

_Dragon_ , was the answer plucked from depth within. That’s right, Kurogane. He had been stuck with Kurogane. 

He took a step forward then, staring at his brother’s blackened skin and ruined body, before he embraced him. “I love you, I’ll always love you, but I can’t stay now. Someone needs me and I can’t run again.”

He pulled away and his brothers ghost fell into the darkness. His image melted away as he found himself in an eerily lit room surrounded by grotesque statues and collapsed tunnels. A great slab of stone was in the center of the room which sat several figures seated around it. 

Skeletons of people once dressed in fine raiment, now tattered dull rags and yet it seemed they watched him with their empty sockets.

_Child of misfortune...everywhere you go death follows at your heels. Your father and mother, your king and kingdom. Your brother. Cursed child._

He could hear a chorus of voices in his head, man and woman. Old and young and below them, another silent voice that beckoned looming over them all. This place was dark and dank, reeking of old magics that should remain buried.

He had escaped one hell to be dragged into another. He had to leave, Kurogane would need his help.

As sudden as he had come to this strange place, the corpses rose and grabbed at him, beckoning him, tugging at his clothes and trying to pull him into the depths.

_Come and sit at our table and we will show you eternity. Cursed blood, winter prince. Child of death and misfortune. Stay and learn the truth of this world._

Another roar echoed, drowning out the voices. Climb. Fai had to escape, if they pulled him down he would never leave. He wrenched himself away and ran towards a bare wall. Fai scrambled and reached for an old root and pulled, gaining purchase on the old stone. Clots of dirt fell as he climbed, blinding him as the screams echoed below.

Fai was suffocating, he could feel his lungs burning as he dug his nails into slick stone. He didn’t care if they cracked and bled. It would be the only blood these ghosts would have. He struggled and fought, gritting his teeth as he worked to gain purchase and climb. He had to live, he had made a promise to Kurogane and for once in his miserable life, he wanted to keep it. 

He screamed as he pushed up against the crumbling dirt and debris and as he reached a hand through and felt nothing on the other end tears began to gather as he used the last of his strength to push through the black soil and gasp for fresh air above.

The taste of earth and blood was still heavy on his tongue as he sucked in gulps of air. He grabbed onto stone and dirt, struggling to pull himself up and out of the hole he had dug.

A deafening roar drowned out the beating of his heart in his ears as Ginryu spat fire down onto the ruins, her flame hot enough to burst the old stone as she left a path of destruction in her wake. It was still dark, but the fires illuminated the area as he kicked and finally emerged. He lay like a newborn, strewn about a stone path, gasping and struggling to breathe. 

His vision was blurring. Was he dying?

The stone burned and crumbled as the dragon roared in fury and grief. He had seen kurogane fall into the darkness and he hadn’t been able to do anything to save him.

Let the dragon burn it all down, wash away this evil place and him with it. Tears stung at his eyes, he wasn’t sure if it was the ash in the air or his own grief.

Kurogane had said they would make a signal fire and it seemed his dragon was fulfilling that promise. As he struggled to stand, he could see the she-dragon soaring low over the crumbling stone, sweeping and spitting golden flame. Maybe her flames could burn the taint of this place away. Crack open these ruins and let the festering dark magic within crumble and burn it all away once and for all.

He coughed, lungs filled with smoke and dust and who knew what else. He had escaped from hell and what did he have to show for it? The one person he had made a connection with in near a decade was gone. Kurogane had made him hopeful...and now it was all turned to ash.

He had hoped for better. He had wanted Kurogane and a part of him hoped if they were rescued that kurogane would still want the same. There was nothing left for him now but hurt and madness as he watched the surrounding jungle catch and flames dance up to their canopies. He struggled to walk, shaken and bruised. Ginryu landed near the gate Kurogane had disappeared through and with her large back feet, began digging. Her claws dug into the stone like a shovel in fresh soil. 

Dragons ruled the skies in ancient times, their fires forged kingdoms and empires, but it seemed they were masters of the earth as well as she clawed and dug down deep, her long neck and shoulders gone underground. Ginryu spat flame in an underground corridor and from the doorway some distance away he could see the glow from her fires.

What was she doing? Looking for her lost rider? She must know he was dead, he had heard the she dragon when Kurogane had fallen. Or maybe she was making sure whatever evil tainted this place was well and good burned away. In any case, he watched as she moved over and dug further down through dark soil as easily as she flew. Her massive claws raked against the old stone, pulling it up and away making a trench in the earth underneath heavy stone.

Whatever was in the darkness needed to be burned away. His body chilled remembering those hands on him, grasping and reaching to try and pull him into the inky blackness forever.

He wanted to cry, but all his tears had burned away. Fai sniffled and hugged himself as he watched Ginryu dig deeper still, she had dug a wide berth of stone and rock and soil up around her before delving into the underground halls she had uncovered. It was several moments later when she jerked back, wings spreading wide on either side of the hole to push herself up. Something black rested in her jaws before she quickly turned and laid it down near her before she went back to burning underground. When he saw an arm peaking out of the mess his heart nearly stopped. Before he even realized he was trying to run.

Kurogane convulsed as Fai slid to him, he knew this. He had been taught to heal people. He pressed his mouth to him, trying to breath air back into his lungs. He had just gotten him back, he couldn’t lose him a second time. 

Kurogane gasped and rolled to heave. Fai helped as best he could, watching something black spatter to the floor. 

Ginryu was already on top them, her tail lashing back and forth and snapping in the air like a whip. She snarled and hissed as smoke bellowed from her jaws. 

“We have to leave now!” He urged and tried to get kurogane to stand. They were both pitifully weak. “I can’t do this without you.” His eyes burned from the smoke, but they had to leave, if they didn’t escape now they never would. Whatever was under their feet would come after them if they lingered.

Kurogane retched again before he moved to pull himself up on Ginryu. Fai helped push him up as the dragon spat fire. Stone split and burst around them and Fai thought he heard screams in the dark. 

Scrambling, he pulled himself up and fastened the belts on them however he could. It would have to be enough. “Fly! Fly!” He urged as Kurogane slumped forward.

Ginryu shrieked and began to run, wings spread and with a great leap and flap of her wings they were in the air.

The ruins grew small under them as he saw the fires burning. A massive fire blackening the stone and surrounding forest. 

Ginryu circled and roared her fury before lifting them even higher in the darkness. Kurogane wasn’t awake to guide the dragon and Fai had no clue how to do it himself, but it seemed she knew the way as she banked and flew towards their makeshift camp and Fai thought for a moment the inky sea sparkled with light.

They landed roughly, Fai coughing and catching Kurogane before he fell off the dragon. 

Ginryu trumpeted in her anger, but at least now they were a good bit away from the still burning ruins. He could see the glow from the fire and struggled to get Kurogane up. “You have to wake up!” 

Kurogane groaned against him before a coughing fit struck him again. 

Water, they needed water. He looked about. “Stay here, I’ll get water.” He set kurogane down to sit on the dirt and ran back to heir makeshift home. He could feel the heat behind him as Ginryu spouted flame high above the village, her tail thrashing the ground. She was still wroth and threatened to burn down the village as well. 

It took only a moment as he ran inside to their things, grabbed a cup of clean water and returned. 

It was as if Kurogane was back from the dead as he helped him drink his hands shook so bad he spilled more than the other drank.

“We have to get inside.” Out in the open they were vulnerable. He held Kurogane close, too weak to move him. Tears slipped down his cheeks as Kurogane breathed shallowly.

Ginryu circled, craning her neck down to nudge at Kurogane, her scarlet eyes turned to Fai and gave a soft keening sound before she went back to her rider. 

Kurogane coughed and reached to pat her snout. In the distance a horn blowed, deep and loud. The dragon rose and watched the darkness before she trumpeted back. 

They had to go, they couldn’t stay here and wait for whatever lurked in this darkness to come for them. “Can you take us?” He asked quietly. His bones ached and he wanted nothing more than to rest. It took but a moment for Ginryu to lean down enough for Fai to try and get Kurogane on her again. He struggled and coughed as the man slumped forward. 

He clambered behind him to hold him close. Kurogane looked pale as he tried to straighten in the saddle. “Fly.” Kurogane’s voice sounded rough and faint.

Spreading her great wings, the dragon leapt into the air and into the night sky. The fire blazed behind them, burning brighter as it engulfed the jungle. Dark smoke bellowing in a dozen different places. Fai clung desperately to Kurogane as his hair whipped about his face. 

They would die here if they didn’t leave. In front of them he could see fires dancing on the water. The horn sounded again and Ginryu answered back as they flew into the dark.

**Author's Note:**

> As for the open ending, this is an angst theme after all, but I like to think I gave you some sense of hope at the end.
> 
> Thank you for making it this far! Please check out the link to vote for this and other great fic and check out the art for the olympics as well!
> 
> A big thank you to my beta, who did so much work!


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